AMEN to the hot showers. many mornings I feel I can't get going until I have a hot shower. Even if you don't feel you need to clean, just letting the hot shower loosen your muscles. At bed time, I pull out the heating pad I keep beside my pillow and it helps at night while watching that last show to let me relax. If I am in a lot of pain and flared up , I pull out the cloth ice pack. ( I keep two in the freezer all the time) that helps but no longer than 15 minutes. I have actually worn out one heating pad. also adding a wet wash cloth on top of the heating pad helps too. I fear stretching as I have my ribs that feel like they want to pock out, since my beginning of this started with vitamin D deficiency, which most Doctors don't check that level, yet they tell us to stay out of the sun. As I noted on another blog, when you have vitamin D deficiency, your upper torso and back muscles are very week and hurt. If I stretched my spine and ribs would move out of place. My level is back up, but now I have fibro and still have back and ribs issues. so on the positive side, try the showers, heating pad and ice pack if helps. I can't take all the meds, most of you can tolerate. So I have to revert to these alternatives. No lyrica, no gabain, just amptrilyne and diazepam and aleve. Hang in there everyone.